Mark Scholz

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, January 10, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dr. Mark Scholz, award winning prostate oncologist, values this study and believes much was to come of it. "Unnecessary diagnosis of harmless variants of prostate cancer occurs in 100,000 men annually in the US, often leading to mutilating surgery and impotence," states Scholz. "The PSA blood test, which is a component of a man’s annual physical exam, is often blamed for the overdiagnosis of prostate cancer, but the #1 culprit is an outdated and somewhat brutal procedure called the Template Prostate Biopsy, which consists of randomly jabbing the prostate a dozen times through the rectum with a large-bore needle to extract tissue samples."

The most important finding of the study was that there was a 50% reduction in the diagnosis of clinically insignificant prostate cancer in men who underwent MRI screening as compared with men who underwent Template biopsy. Clinically significant cancer that was missed by MRI only occurred in 10 participants. and all cases were of intermediate risk and involved mainly low-volume disease that was managed with active surveillance.

Scholz continues, "A million men in the US unecessarily undergo this painful ordeal every year! This very important article from the New England Journal of Medicine confirms the long-time suspicions of many prostate cancer experts—that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a far more accurate way to check for prostate cancer in men with an elevated PSA."

The avoidance of Template biopsy in favor of MRI-directed targeted biopsy for screening and early detection in persons with elevated PSA levels reduced the risk of overdiagnosis by half at the cost of delaying detection of intermediate-risk tumors in a small proportion of patients.

"Using MRI, men who have clear scans can forgo biopsy altogether. On the other hand, if the scan shows a suspicious spot, a limited number of targeted biopsies will besufficient. Prostate biopsies generate billions of dollars annually for the medical industry. So I warn patients planning to undergo PSA screening that doctors may be reluctant to use MRI. Template biopsy has been the standard procedure for more than 30 years and has become ingrained into day to day medical managment . Dr. Hugosson and his collaborators, along with the 18,000 men who participated in this groundbreaking study, deserve our most hearty and grateful commendation for scientifically proving the superiority of using MRI imaging compared to 12-core Template Biopsy," Scholz concludes.

BIO: As a double board-certified medical specialist, Dr. Mark Scholz is the executive director of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to patient education and research. He received his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine, and subsequently his Medical Oncology fellowship at the University of Southern California Medical Center. The physician's society memberships include the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology, the American Urologic Associate, and the European Associate of Urology. Scholz works as a primary investigator, actively supervising a number of ongoing prostate cancer clinical trials and has authored and co-authored over 90 scholarly articles and abstracts in his area of expertise. He is a strong advocate for patient empowerment, being the co-author of the books “Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers: No More Unnecessary Biopsies, Radical Treatment or Loss of Potency” and “The Key to Prostate Cancer: 30 Experts Explain 15 Stages of Prostate Cancer.” Dr. Mark Scholz served as Oncology Director at the Memorial Campus of the Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center from 1996 to 2001. He also has a bachelor of arts in biochemistry, which he earned from Occidental College. The physician has approximately 40 years of professional experience and is the recipient of the Most Compassionate Doctor award.

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